Mitchell helps power Centennial to win over Hammond in girls basketball

Centennial at Hammond

Staff photo by Sarah Pastrana

Anna Mitchell of Centennial goes up for a shot while Betty Atkins of Hammond attempts to block her during a Jan. 18 game.

Anna Mitchell of Centennial goes up for a shot while Betty Atkins of Hammond attempts to block her during a Jan. 18 game. (Staff photo by Sarah Pastrana)

By Brandon Hopp, bhopp@tribune.com

After starting the season with six straight games scoring in double figures, Centennial's leading scorer Anna Mitchell has finished with less than 10 points in each of the past three contests.

So the sophomore forward asserted herself on the offensive boards and knew the points would follow. Mitchell finished with a game-high 17 points and 11 rebounds to help push the Eagles to a 54-29 victory over Hammond on Friday night.

“My favorite thing is to rebound and I love finishing (in the paint),” Mitchell said. “I’m happy with how I did under the basket tonight but I could have done better boxing out.”

For much of the first quarter, the Golden Bears went toe-to-toe with Centennial. A jumper by Cambria Conley cut Hammond’s deficit to 8-5 with 3 minutes, 20 seconds left in the quarter.

But the Eagles (4-7, 5-9) closed the frame on an 11-3 run, including three straight buckets inside from Mitchell to go ahead, 19-8, after one quarter.

Centennial stretched the lead to 22 at halftime and put the game out of reach when it started the third quarter with eight straight points. Mitchell had three buckets in the paint and Alicia Hsieh added a fast break layup.

“We played a little sloppy with a lot of turnovers but I’m happy with how we played, especially after having this week off,” Mitchell said.

Hammond hit the glass hard as a team and held a 34-24 advantage in that department. Christina Asare grabbed eight offense rebounds and finished with 10 total, while Jameelah Wallace added eight boards.

But coach Mona Reid felt that her team played a bit too timid after the early going.

“I think that they are really scared to take chances,” Reid said. “They have to realize that basketball is a game of mistakes. You have to go hard because you can't do anything in basketball half way. They have the skill and can do it but they've got to have confidence in themselves.”

It was a roller coaster game on Senior Night for Glenelg Country, who honored seniors Hannah Harbold and Ogechi Nwodim. But in the end, the Dragons were able to hold on for a 29-28 win.

Sophomore Sabrina DeLeonibus finished with a team-high 15 points for Glenelg Country, which fell behind, 11-2, early in the second quarter. But with consistent play from the seniors, and adjustments on offense, the Lady Dragons were able to take a 14-11 advantage into halftime.

Glenelg Country continued to charge ahead in the second half, but Key was able to answer back with center Theorie Beck – who had 13 of her game-high 20 points in the second half.

Calm and controlled play on offense, led by Harbold, and tough defense, led by Nwodim, prevailed through the fourth as the Dragons were able to control and hold the ball for the final twenty seconds to preserve the one-point triumph.

“This was a great victory for our team,” Glenelg Country coach Ed Conroy said. “There are so many things that can swing the result on a one-point day. The girls managed to stay in control and move the ball around at the end of the game to win this contest. As a team, we are frequently undersized, and it is a testament to the girls’ resilience on defense and patience on offense that we are able to claw out these victories.”

The Hawks outscored the Gladiators, 8-3, in overtime to pull out a close victory. Jenna Collins paced River Hill with 13 points and three assists. Meg Sterling (12 points) and Vicki Rowe (11) also scored in double figures.

After nearly six months of back-and-forth, a bill creating a set of nutritional guidelines for the food and drink sold in Howard County government vending machines was voted, for a final time, into law today.